Page 80 of Tides of Change
And in doing so, we had built more than a home. We had built a little family.
One night, Noah had hesitantly asked if he could call mePapa.I had been so choked up I could only nod and pull him into a hug so tight he had to squirm away, giggling.
As I walked closer to my fiancé and Noah, my heart pounded—not from anxiety, but from the sheer intensity of my love for them.
The small congregation—family and friends from Seacliff Cove, my family from New York—turned to watch, and a few beachgoers paused, drawn in by the ceremony. But I barely noticed. My world had narrowed to one person.
Garrett.
His broad grin was the first thing I saw, his face alight with unguarded joy. My lips curved into a soft smile in return.
Noah stood beside him, beaming, his light-gray vest and pants a match to ours. The only difference between us was the colors of our ties—Garrett’s a cobalt blue, mine a dusty pink,Noah’s a bright pop of yellow. My men, my family, looking impossibly handsome.
I reached Garrett, and my heart thundered against my ribs, my emotions barely contained.
“Hi,” he whispered, and his eyes danced. Before I could answer, he leaned in and pressed his lips to mine. “Let’s get married.”
I chuckled, warmth flooding me, and the officiant cleared her throat with a smirk.
“Sorry, had to do that,” Garrett said, completely unapologetic as he winked at me.
Laughter rippled through our guests as I shook my head, my chest aching with so much love I thought I might burst.
The officiant smiled and lifted her hands. “Welcome, everyone. We are gathered here today to celebrate the love between Garrett and Ethan…”
She continued speaking, but I barely heard her. All I could see was the man before me, the man who had saved me in more ways than one.
Then she turned to us, eyes warm. “Garrett and Ethan have written their own vows. Please face each other and hold hands. Garrett?”
Garrett squeezed my hands, firm and sure. “Ethan, from that first sip of your pumpkin spice latte, I knew you were trouble.”
I snickered inelegantly.
“The best kind of trouble. You took my quiet, predictable life and filled it with laughter, warmth, and love I never saw coming. I promise to be your safe place, your home—no matter what storms may come.”
I could barely breathe after his heartfelt declaration, but it was my turn. I swallowed past the emotion clogging my throat.
“I’ve spent my life writing stories, creating larger-than-life characters. But no thriller, no fictional story, will ever compareto this—to you, to us, to the family we’ve built together. We are my greatest story, and it has a happy ending. I promise to spend the rest of my life proving that to you.”
Garrett’s normally steady hands trembled in mine, his eyes shining.
The officiant asked for the rings, and Noah stepped forward, solemn in his duty. He pulled two bands, tied together with a ribbon, out of his pocket and handed them to the woman. She thanked him with a smile. During the ring ceremony, we stacked our gold wedding bands snuggly against our diamond-encrusted engagement rings, glinting in the late evening sun.
The warmth of Garrett’s hands never left mine, steadying me. This was forever.
“And now, Ethan has something he’d like to say. Noah, would you stand in front of Ethan?”
Confusion crossed Noah’s face. This part of the ceremony hadn’t been in the rehearsal. But he came to me, and I crouched down in the sand, so we were eye to eye.
I removed the papers from my pocket and held them up. My heart pounded; my throat constricted.
“Noah, these are adoption papers. Do you know what those are?”
He shook his head, curiosity flashing across his young face.
“They mean that I’d like to adopt you as my son. I’d be your legal father—your real father—along with your dad. Would you like that?”
For a moment, Noah just stared at me, wide-eyed. Then, without warning, he threw himself into my arms, nearly bowling me over. His arms wrapped around my neck with a strength that shattered me in the best way.
